Vietnam’s Masan Group acquires Sam Kim Co. Ltd.

Acquisition includes stakes in feed and nutrition companies Anco and Proconco

Vietnamese company Masan Group, has acquired Sam Kim Co. Ltd., and is renaming it Masan Nutri-Science Co. Ltd. With the acquisition, Masan Group has purchased a 52 percent stake in in Vietnam French Cattle Feed JSC (Proconco) and a 70 percent share of Agro Nutrition Company (Anco).

With the deal, Masan Group is now the second largest company in the Vietnam animal feed market.

In 2012, Masan Agri, a subsidiary of the group, acquired a 40 percent stake in Proconco. However, Masan Group fully divested from Masan Agri in 2014, hence holding no equity in the animal feed firm. The sale of Masan Agri was previously confirmed by the group as a move to raise capital for its consumer arm, Masan Consumer Holdings, according to a report from DealStreetAsia.

“The acquisition is a key step to increasing the productivity of Vietnam’s protein sector. Vietnam’s GDP per capita is 1/10th of the U.S., but Vietnam’s protein price per kilogram is 1.5-2 times more expensive,” the company stated.

The acquisition and establishment of Masan Nutri-Science instantly provides Masan Group a leading platform to serve the growing $6 billion animal feed sector. “Proconco and Anco, as a combined business, is the number one external pig feed and second overall animal feed player in Vietnam, supplying farmers with over 1.7 million metric tons of animal feed products in 2014 and is well on track to deliver revenue of $1 billion in 2015,” the company further stated.